§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons were detained under Emergency Provisions (Northern Ireland) Acts 1973 and 1978 in the first nine months of 1988; and how many of these persons were subsequently charged with(a) scheduled offences and (b) non-scheduled offences.
§ Mr. Ian Stewart[holding answer 1 November 1988]During the first nine months of 1988, 50 persons were arrested by the Army under section 14 of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1978. One of these persons was subsequently rearrested by the police under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1984 and was charged with scheduled offences. Statistics are not available to show the number of persons who were released without charge or were subsequently rearrested by the police under other powers. One person was arrested under section 13 of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1978 and was released without charge.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons were detained in connection with terrorist-type offences under Acts other than the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Acts and the Emergency Provisions (Northern Ireland) Acts in the current year.
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§ Mr. Ian Stewart[holding answer 1 November 1988]This information is not available from existing records without incurring disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give separately for magistrates' courts and crown courts for 1986, 1987 and the first six months of 1988, the number of cases involving non-scheduled offences in which pleas of not guilty were entered; in how many of these cases verdicts of not guilty were returned; and in how many of these cases trial was by jury.
§ Mr. Ian Stewart[holding answer 1 November 1988]The information in respect of persons proceeded against for non-scheduled offences is as follows:
Magistrates court Crown court Pleaded not guilty Found not guilty Pleaded not guilty Found not guilty 1986 4,239 2,710 162 85 1987 4,797 3,159 154 75 11988 2,661 1,712 107 51 1 All cases in the Crown court were heard before a jury.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons were charged with non-scheduled offences; how many were charged with scheduled offences; and how many persons were found not guilty of all or some of the offences with which they were charged in the first half of the current year.
§ Mr. Ian Stewart[holding answer 1 November 1988]Statistics are not available in the precise form requested. In the first six months of this year 557 persons were tried in the crown court for non-scheduled offences of whom 107 pleaded not guilty and 51 were found not guilty and 337 persons were tried for scheduled offences of whom 43 pleaded not guilty and 19 were found not guilty.